Global frog die-off caused by deadly pathogen

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — A disease is wiping out numerous species of frogs the world over, in what scientists say is one of the biggest disasters ever to hit the animal world.

Chytridiomycosis, or chytrid, is caused by two strains of the Batrachochytrium fungus and originally found on the Korean Peninsula. The BBC reports that the disease has spread to over 60 countries, likely facilitated by humans through the legal and illegal pet trade.

According to the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, chytrid produces spores that can stay in fresh water or moist environments until they find an amphibian host.

The fungus attacks keratin in the frog's skin, disrupting its ability to breathe and absorb water. This causes the skin to degrade and get shed off, and eventually triggering cardiac arrest that results in death.

According to a paper published in Science, an estimated 501 amphibian species have declined due to chytrid, with 90 confirmed or presumed extinct.

The authors say their research highlights the need to take biosecurity risks to wildlife more seriously in order to prevent new strains from emerging and spreading.

They further hope their study can help save surviving frog species, as there is still a high risk of more becoming extinct over the next few decades.